These Summer Days

So its not officially summer yet - its actually just the beginning of Spring - BUT we have been having the odd warm day that are teasing us into feeling like summer is here!



This is the most regular view of Eamon.



Kelsea asked me if she could be a model.

{Squeaking Point - September 24th 2011}

Lovin' this about motherhood

I have three children. I love playing with them and watching them and learning things with them...but sometimes what I love the most is ...... watching them sleep. They are so peaceful then - there are no frowns or growls or fighting or negotiating or pleas for food or helping to play or food or can we go to someones house or food....of course its not always like that - there are so many beautiful moments and happy times with much laughter and artisitc creation.

Its just nice sometimes to rest from chasing Master Two around, dealing with mud baths and tipped out washing powder - self toileting and the aggression only a two year old boys boy can have!

{Eamon has a bottle for bed and is usually out like a light!}

Its nice some times to rest from the 501 questions of Miss Five and trying to respond in a nice manner to the new negotiating and independant language skills she is learning, and rest from the arguments that these to innately different Spirits have when they clash!!

{ Kelsea always sleeps with that scrap of fabric her "fairy cloth" she has had it since she was about 6 months old. She is very routine based and needs to have everything the same each night - every night she calls out - usually numerous times "love you - good night - don't let the bed bugs bite - see you in the morning - noaptebuna (Romainian goodnight) plus a lullaby that i usually have to make up - followed by a song about Jesus}

So I am LOVING the peace that comes when they are sleeping!! Also love the peace that comes when Jacky boy is asleep (rare as that is!)


He is seemingly following in the footsteps of his "active" brother and Big cousins Alex and Archer! In to everything at the moment - especially if it ISN'T a baby toy! He loves to push chairs around the house and be altogether too cute !! (p.s. No pick of the baby - was not goign to risk waking him to take the shot!!) And you know what - when the kids are sleeping - its like we stop being mum and dad and get our names back again!!

Book Burning

Jared completed his building apprenticeship last week. We are all really excited - but Jared is super happy as it means no more TAFE! WOOHOO - so we celebrated with a little book burning (don't worry it was just a folder with useless modules in it - so hoping he doesn't need it!!)



Congratulations to Jared - we are so proud of him xLovin this pic of Jared and Eamon - like Father like son- they could sleep anywhere - I should add like grandfather also - Nick was asleep on the couch aswell!

First Day Of Spring BBQ

It was a beautiful first day of Spring - even quite warm - I think my boys got burnt heads at play group from the first burning sunshine of the season. I thought it would be a lovely treat to take the children to the park for a bbq for tea. We are lucky and have a few spots where we can bbq near by. Kelsea insisted that it was for Fathers day so Jared could choose where we went - but we had to go to the place she said! It was all good though - so we ended up at a popular little beach spot that is kid friendly and ahs bbq facilities.

It was a perfect evening - and the sea air smelt divine - here are a few pics from our piece of paradise.

Even before we started cooking these little...darlings....came flocking to us!


Eamon took off straight for the beach only to be told to waith for Dad! He is such a lovely boy - and also such a rough and ready kid - he is sensitive and really aggresive and loves the great outdoors (I had just bathed him before we left as he came into the house trailing thick sticky black mud behind him- yay!)







Jack is so sweet - he sucked on a 'rafferty's garden' tube the whole time - he is such a snuggly baby.
{With a worried look because Eamon had just chased the gulls on to the road}


Kelsea loves to have her picture taken - lucky the camera loves her! Kelsea LOVES bbq-ing and family time together - she is always at her happiest when we are out doing something like this together! She is growing too fast - wishing that we could freeze her at 5!



Jared took some scenic shots - and I did some stuff to the birds on a wire shot- dunno what I did - dunno how to make it look good - but it's like this now!!

Book Week

Book Week came and went and Kelsea dressed up as a favourite character - can you guess?

Eamon tagged along as 'super' someone with his sword pipe.




Hanging with some friends in the cubby ( she was a little miffed as all the girls had on beautiful fairy dresses and she did not - still struggling with needing to be the prettiest!!)


She loved the Rapunzel story long before Tangled appeared - now both Kelsea and Eamon love to watch Tangled numerous times a week - even though its a little scratched and worn.


"mum - look - I'm Rapunzel with her long hair".

Rapunzel was also my favourite fairy tale as a child - loved the original story!

Kelsea's 5th Birthday

Kelsea had been looking forward to her birthday for a while - and there had been much discussion about gifts and cakes and family. Two weeks before her birthday we made a trip to the Huon to visit with my extended family and to go to Archer's 2nd birthday party. Whilst there Kelsea's birthday started! She recieved a lovely outfit from Halle and family and a pink barbie Scooter from Tyler and Jess. the next weekend Nanna Lena came up for a visit and took Kelsea out for the morning - they went to lots of shops and Kelsea came back with lots of presents from a tiny pink sequin skirt to some sparkly shoes to a necklace and a DVD and more, she had the best time and loved having Nan to herself for a few hours. The Tuesday was such a beautiful sunny day Kelsea opened her Lego and Craft box and loved them



and she also got 'the wonky Donkey" Ï was walking down the road and I saw a Donkey...hee haw..." (got it stuck in your head now?!!?)- we spent the morning decorating the cake


and at lunch time packed up our sandwiches and walked to the beach



- we had a great time - with Kelsea chasing away the seagulls and searching for treasure. Chloe and Lachie and Hugh and Steph joined us for a little while until kels got splashed on her legs and they started hurting and Eamon got a little miserable.


We had a pretty impromptu BBQ with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunty Nicki and kids and Eden and family - Kelsea had a fantastic day and loved all the gifts and fuss. I think the high light was the balloon fight (though Grandma kept making kids cry;) )and the hot/cold game! Thanks for coming guys!
(so much for the low key birthday this year!) And sorry Kings - it was organised too late! We missed you all though x

(Kelsea keeps asking if I felt different when I got older - as she still feels four!)

FHE {WORDS}

A while ago I came across an idea that really appealed to me for family home evening. The general topic was on words. We used this idea tonight in Family Home Evening - and it seemed to really work well with our 5 year old - not too sure how much younger you could make it work with - but I think you could adjust the lesson to suit anywhere up to just adults.

Materials: Cardboard, scissors, pen, scriptures, Book of Mormon reader, or perhaps flannel board characters of the people of Ammon.

The Lesson:

Read the story of the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's or The People of Ammon - stress how they buried the weapons and would NEVER again take them up.

Then have a discussion about how words can cut us just like swords can and how it hurts etc. (and talk about all the unkind words floating around your home - if you have any that is!)

You will then produce a heap of mini cardboard swords - depending on ages and numbers - then write down the words you have come up with on a sword. (Kels was great at coming up with words - she suggested "please stop that" but we said that wasn't going on a sword!)

After you have written the swords out - explain to the family that you aren't going to use these words anymore - and as soon as they are buried they can't be used again - just like the people of Ammon buried their swords - and even if people are angry or tired or someone looked at them the wrong way - they can never use those swords again - just like the POA would never again pick up their weapons even to defend their own lives.

Then go and bury them in the garden - the kids LOVED this - and dug numerous holes - you could just throw it in the bin or burn them or something.

Hoping that this will work really well - I will post the original source asap - as it was not my idea - just loved it and am not sure where it came from!